


Intoxicating

by pastelwitchling



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: M/M, Malex, Smut, based on tyler's aesthetic in hello again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:08:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23153026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelwitchling/pseuds/pastelwitchling
Summary: Michael had never been to the After Dark night club before, but after a particularly long day, he takes the chance and steps inside only to find the most beautiful man he had ever seen dancing under the lights.
Relationships: Michael Guerin & Alex Manes, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 11
Kudos: 78





	Intoxicating

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this during a 24-hour malex writathon challenge I had given myself several months ago. I'm doing another one today, and I realized I had never posted the first. I thought, why not?

Michael froze on the steps of the AFTER DARK club, the colorful lights flying over hundreds of similar faces, all laughing or chatting or getting drunk or making out. One of those faces stood out.

His eyes were closed, his arms up in the air, his vest open wide and revealing his hairy chest. He danced like water, careless of who was watching. His lips parted while he moved, his eyes fluttered open, and ran over every person below the platform, deciding whether or not they were worthy of a night with him. Michael swallowed and moved forward.

He knew he didn’t look like he belonged in this place, with his black suit, his white shirt beneath rumpled and opened at the collar. He probably smelled like alcohol, but he didn’t care. The stranger’s eyes fell on him and stayed there. He said nothing as Michael made it up onto the platform, only smiled as if amused. Michael thought he looked beautiful when he smiled, then reminded himself that this was a man, and men didn’t think like that about other men. At least, _he_ didn’t.

When he straightened, he realized he and the stranger were of the same height. And that the stranger smelled like maple syrup.

“Yes?” he smiled, laughter bubbling in his throat.

_Fuck._ “Uh – I – you… I liked watching you dance.”

“Yeah?” the stranger came closer, his smile widening. He leaned in, and whispered, “How much did you like it?”

Michael gasped as the stranger’s breath fanned the shell of his ear, his delicious scent of sugar filled Michael’s lungs, his skin so smooth and soft that Michael had to resist the urge to bite into it.

“What’s your name?” Michael breathed. “Please tell me your name.”

The stranger ran his tongue over Michael’s lips, and Michael’s heart jumped in his chest. “Alex. My name is Alex.”

“Michael,” Michael said, and put his hands on Alex’s waist. “Nice to meet you.”

Alex laughed against Michael’s mouth, and Michael’s eyes fell shut as he pulled Alex to him, and kissed him. His lips were so delicious, his skin even softer than Michael could imagine, his muscles so pliant. Michael pulled back, his eyes wide. Alex, on the other hand, had furrowed brows as if he didn’t understand what had just passed between them. Michael didn’t know who pulled the other back in first. He didn’t care if Alex was a man; he was drunk, it was dark, and Alex felt so _good_ in his arms.

Michael forgot just how they’d ended up in Alex’s apartment, all he knew was that as Alex’s vest fell off his shoulders, Michael wanted more and more off.

“Fuck,” he breathed, and Alex giggled.

Alex leaned his head back to give Michael more access. “Take this off,” he said, and stripped Michael of his jacket and white shirt.

“Alex,” Michael panted, pulling Alex to him, feeling the way their nipples touched, their hairy chests rubbed against one another. He laid him back on the bed, and kissed down his chest. It was like being stuck in the desert with only a drop of water. It wasn’t enough.

He tugged at Alex’s pants, and reveled in the man’s moans as he slid them down, revealing a hardened cock. Michael stopped.

Alex made a soft whine of protest. “What’s wrong?”

Michael shook his head, his eyes on Alex’s dick. Normally, the sight of another man’s privates would’ve repulsed him, but now, he felt no disgust at all. Only nervousness.

“I – I just – I’ve never…” he let his words trail off, and Alex’s eyes widened fractionally as realization dawned.

“You’ve never had sex with a guy.” Alex sat up, breathing hard. He avoided Michael’s eyes as he pulled his pants back up. “Maybe you should –”

“No, _no_ ,” Michael shook his head. “Please, don’t ask me to go.”

“Michael, you’re obviously weirded out –”

“I’m not weirded out, I’m not,” Michael said. “I – _fuck_ , I want you – I just,” he ran his hands over Alex’s chest, then nervously pulled away as he reached his shoulders. “I don’t know how to do this, how to make it feel good.”

Alex bit his lower lip as he considered Michael, and Michael wished he would stop. The sight was making his already messed up mind fall into a frenzy.

“Fuck,” Alex said, his voice deep. “You’re lucky you’re so cute. Come here.” His voice was surprisingly soft as he pulled him into a deep kiss. Michael’s eyes closed, and he touched Alex’s chest again, rubbing his fingers over Alex’s nipples, his chest hair.

Alex flipped them over so that he was hovering over Michael, the two of them naked above the waist. Alex slowly grinded his clothed cock into Michael’s, and Michael groaned into Alex’s mouth.

“Does that feel good?” Alex asked with a grin that suggested he knew _exactly_ how good that felt.

Michael pulled him back down over him, kissing him senseless. Michael tilted his head to deepen the kiss, slipping his tongue in, brushing it against Alex’s. He brought his hand down, slipping it under Alex’s pants. He gasped. Alex’s ass was smooth and round, Michael wanted to see it. He pushed Alex’s pants down, and dug his fingers into Alex’s cheeks, bringing their cocks together.

“ _Ah_ ,” Michael pulled him in deeper, grinding his hips upwards, digging his own cock into Alex’s. “Fuck, I wanna feel you,” Michael breathed, and pulled his own pants down. Before he could even register what he was doing, his and Alex’s naked cocks were grinding together. Michael’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, his mouth open, his tongue swiping at Alex’s.

“Michael,” Alex moaned, and Michael felt the fire in his gut burn hotter. He flipped them over, and spread Alex’s legs wide before he viciously started thrusting his cock into Alex’s. The room was filled with their moans and shallow breathing. Sweat made Michael’s chest hair cling to Alex’s body, and Michael found himself wanting more, more, _more_.

Michael turned over so that his dick was in Alex’s face, while Alex’s was in his. “Suck my dick, baby. _Suck_ it.”

Without a word, Michael took Alex’s cock as he felt Alex take his own, the man’s tongue swirling around the tip, licking along his hairy length. He thrusted his hips into Alex’s as Alex did the same to him. He didn’t know if he was any good, but he wanted to hear Alex’s moans. He wanted to be Alex’s only source of pleasure. When he finally came, he saw white, and for a moment, he didn’t want to move. He wanted to stay here between Alex’s legs, watching his leaking cock as it throbbed. He wanted to taste it again. So he did.

The entire night was spent this way, with the two men coming, then Michael devouring some other part of Alex’s body, reveling in his moans, his shallow breaths, his whimpers, and getting hard all over again.

When Michael opened his eyes at first sign of sunrise, Alex was curled up against him, head on his chest, his hand on Michael’s stomach. At first, Michael felt something strange and warm and _strong_ tug at his heart, urging him to run his hand down Alex’s back and feel the smooth expanse of skin. Then he felt an overwhelming guilt at what he’d done, and he caught himself.

Michael swallowed, shifting ever-so-carefully out from under Alex, leaving him to curl up against a pillow. Part of Michael wanted to climb back into bed, to kiss Alex awake, to feel his body all over again while he was clearheaded enough to know what he was doing.

But that part was being drowned out by the loud _STUPID STUPID STUPID_ echoing in his head, condemning him for having associated himself with some random man from a club, one whose cheekbones were still covered in glitter. Michael quietly found his clothes and threw them on. He took one last glance at Alex before heading out the door.

When he returned to his own apartment, he torn off his clothes, unable to help but remember the way Alex had ripped them off himself, and slipped into the shower, cleaning off the dry cum on his chest, legs, and arms.

A sick part of him wanted to keep them there, to smell like Alex. He pressed his back into the shower wall, letting the hot water rain down on him as he thrusted into his hand, imagining Alex on his knees in front of him. When he came, he scrubbed himself so hard his skin had turned red.

“Stop thinking about him, _stop it_ ,” he warned himself.

Michael received odd looks when he’d arrived at work. For a moment, he thought everyone could read his mind, could _see_ what he’d done. He’d only had a few hickeys on his chest (hickeys he’d touched and rubbed when he’d touched himself in the shower), but those were hidden under his clothes.

It was only when his sister, Isobel, raised her brow and said, “Since when do you show up late?” did he realize why everyone had been staring.

“Oh,” he said, “uh, I slept in.”

Isobel’s frown deepened. “ _You_ slept in?”

“Shut up.” Michael sat in his cubicle, setting his briefcase aside. And the hours dragged on, any thought of Alex drained away as Michael suffered phone call after phone call of people hanging up on him, yelling in his face, begging for help for their insurance, or just keeping him on the line because they were lonely and wanted someone – _anyone_ , apparently – to talk to.

By the time he’d clocked out, he felt himself miserable and dying. He needed to wake up, he needed vibrancy. He swallowed, and once again found himself in front of the AFTER DARK neon light, flashing in the darkness. Would Alex even want to see him again after he’d left?

Michael stepped into the club, and looked to the platform where he’d found Alex dancing last night. His heart dropped when he realized his stranger wasn’t there. He searched the faces dancing in the crowd, panic starting to set in. What if Alex had only come by once? What if Michael never saw him again? What if Alex was purposely avoiding him?

“Looking for someone?”

Michael whipped around, his heart settling in his chest at the sight of Alex, glitter on his cheekbones and around his eyes, his lips coated in a shiny substance. He wore a black tank top today, revealing his deliciously smooth stomach and bellybutton, his pants were pulled down low enough that Michael was sure that, should he slip a finger in, he would be grazing Alex’s cock.

“Alex,” he breathed, then caught himself. “I-I’m sorry – for leaving, I mean, I – I don’t usually.”

“I don’t care.”

“What?”

“I don’t care, Michael,” Alex scoffed. “Though I didn’t think you hated it, you did seem to be enjoying yourself _all night_.”

“I was,” Michael came closer. “I loved it.”

“You’re already drunk,” Alex noted, and grinned. “ _Really_ drunk.”

Michael inhaled his scent. “So are you.”

“Mm,” Alex pecked his lips. “I am.”

Michael moaned, taking the back of Alex’s head, and pulling him in to kiss him. Alex melted in his hold, arms coming around and under his jacket. Michael gasped under his touch, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

“Fuck,” Michael breathed, a line of spit connecting his and Alex’s lips.

“Great idea,” Alex said, and before Michael knew it, they were back in Alex’s apartment, free of their clothes, rolling around on Alex’s bed. Michael spread Alex’s legs apart with one hand, grinding his cock into Alex’s. “Please,” Alex breathed. “Please fuck me.”

“Fuck, Alex,” Michael moaned, and stuck two fingers in Alex’s mouth. Alex generously ran his tongue over them, making Michael bite his lip so hard he was sure it would bleed.

He thrusted his fingers into Alex’s hole, then pressed a third. When Alex was ready, Michael pushed his cock in all the way through. He stared as Alex’s balls hit his hairy gut, and it spurred him on. He grinded their chests together as he thrusted in and out, Alex’s arms around his shoulders, holding him.

Then they came, and Michael was hot all over again, and they started over. They stayed this way until sunrise. When Michael woke up, the sun high in the sky, he forgot about work, about reputation, about _everything_ but Alex. Alex had turned away from him in his sleep, his beautiful back facing Michael as if to prove that Alex didn’t care if Michael left.

But Michael didn’t want to leave. He came up behind Alex, and slowly rubbed his hole until he woke up with a moan on his lips, then Michael fitted his cock in, and thrusted from behind.

“ _Michael_ ,” Alex breathed, and Michael wrapped an arm around his waist, thrusting harder.

“Say my name,” Michael groaned. “Say it again.”

Alex covered Michael’s hand on his stomach with his own. “Michael, Michael, _Michael_.”

“Yeah, baby,” Michael bit Alex’s shoulder as he thrusted harder and harder, the sound of their bodies slapping together now the only sound in the entire apartment.

Michael was seated on Alex’s bed after having just showered when Alex, naked except for a towel around his waist, asked, “You want to go shopping later?”

Michael stilled. “For what?”

“Just some stuff,” Alex shrugged. “I need a few things.”

It was not a big or impossible request. It wasn’t even really a request, it was an offering. And yet through it, Michael saw a domestic life with Alex. Sleeping together in the morning, showering together, wearing each other’s clothes, shopping together – and it frightened him. Alex was only meant to be a fun night, why was Michael still here? He struggled to remember.

Alex smiled, amused, and Michael had to keep himself from pushing him against the wall and kissing him. “You always think so hard about everything?”

“I can’t go,” Michael blurted. “I’m busy.”

Alex’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Oh.”

“I really just have things to do.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself, Michael. Isn’t that how this works?”

“How what works?”

“I need to leave soon, too, actually. Can you hurry up and change?”

“O-oh, uh, yeah, sure.”

Michael avoided Alex’s eyes as he put his clothes on. He didn’t say goodbye to Alex before he left (he doubted he’d be coming back), but he couldn’t help but glance at Alex on the way out. The man wasn’t even looking at him.

He supposed he should’ve been glad that what they had done seemed so insignificant to Alex. It was easier this way, wasn’t it? Yes, this was exactly what Michael wanted.

And yet the following night, Michael found himself once again in front of AFTER DARK. He wanted one more night, that was all, just one. It would end better than the last one did. He would kiss Alex’s lips, thank him for everything, and leave. There would be no awkwardness, no strange tension. Just him and Alex (and their proper goodbye, but Michael didn’t want to think that far ahead).

Except when Michael walked into the club, he found Alex in a dark corner with another man grinding against him. He locked eyes with Michael, and kept his gaze even as he moaned, then he shut the velvet curtain, hiding himself and his friend from Michael’s view.

Michael could still hear them behind the curtain, but he felt worlds away. He stepped back, and out of the club, no longer in the mood to do anything but go home and sleep. But before he could cross the street, he stopped, Alex’s eyes as they had locked gazes burning in his mind. His fists clenched and he marched back into the club, ripped the curtain open, and pulled the large man off Alex.

“What the hell!” he stood, but just as he got to his feet, Michael punched him with a strength he never knew himself to possess, and the large man fell back down.

Michael turned his back to him, took Alex’s face in his hands, and kissed him wildly, unwilling to move until he desperately needed to breathe.

“You’re mine,” he hissed. “All mine.”

Alex’s eyes were dark, looking at Michael’s lips as he nodded slowly. And he and Michael fell into each other, Alex’s hands coming up Michael’s shirt, and Michael gripping him through his pants.

The next morning when they woke up, Michael touched Alex again, had thrusted into him, had woken him with kisses to his eyes, his nose, his lips. After they had showered, Michael had stuck his face in Alex’s worn shirt, his jeans, his underwear, smelling the clothing and pretending Alex was in his arms. When that did not feel like enough, Michael went into the bathroom, pushed the towel off Alex’s hips, and took his cock into his mouth.

“Crap,” Alex said much later when the two were in bed. “I need to go get some groceries. I totally forgot.”

Michael hesitated. “Let’s go together.”

Alex raised his brows. “Really?”

“I can’t let you go walking the streets by yourself,” Michael found himself saying, and cupped Alex’s chin. He raised Alex’s lips to his own, and kissed him slowly. “Someone might try to take you away from me.”

Alex bit his lower lip, and he pulled away, slapping Michael’s chest with a laugh. “You’re such a dork.”

When Alex had stepped out of his closet, fully dressed in jeans and a sweater that came down past his fingers, Michael marveled.

“What?” Alex blushed. Alex looked good when he blushed.

“Nothing, you just,” Michael shrugged, “look different, that’s all.”

Alex scratched the back of his head, messing up his already perfectly messed up hair. “Not okay?”

And Michael’s heart felt so warm in his chest, he thought he could melt. He wrapped his arm around Alex’s waist, and pulled him in. “Gorgeous.”

It felt strange being at the grocery store with Alex, walking alongside him, knowing that they weren’t friends, but something else. He wondered what would happen if he took Alex’s hand, if he kissed his cheek. When they were in the canned isle by themselves, Michael took the risk, and planted a few pecks to his jaw.

Alex giggled. “Can’t you control yourself at all?”

For that response, Michael pinned Alex to the fridge, gave him such a passionate, heated kiss that Alex nearly fell against him, and pulled back. “I’ll have control if you want me to have control.”

“No,” and Alex pulled him against him. “No control.”

They made out until an old couple rounded the corner, then Michael took Alex’s hand and they hurried into another abandoned isle. When they finally tore apart from one another, Alex bought a box of large strawberries, and opened it for him and Michael to share in the small park across the store. But Michael had noticed Alex looking for the cheapest options, had seen Alex’s small apartment, and he hesitated.

“What do you do, Alex?”

“Hm?” Alex raised a brow, eating the entire strawberry, even the leaves, whole. It was the cutest thing Michael had ever seen.

“I just realized I don’t even know your last name. I don’t know anything about you.”

Alex pressed a strawberry to Michael’s lips. “Alex Manes.”

“Michael Guerin.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alex smiled. “And, because you asked, I’m a librarian.”

Michael blinked. “Seriously?”

Alex laughed. “Am I not what you imagined a librarian to be?”

“No, not at all,” he confessed.

“I love books.” He shrugged. “I’m in Faerie all day, and in Faerie all night.”

“You mean the club?”

“People are so free when they’re not being watched by those they know have power over them. Free as fairies.”

Michael stared. “I really don’t know you at all.”

Alex’s grinned widened. “What about you? You wear a suit, I’m guessing you work in an office?”

“Insurance salesman,” Michael said with a frown. “I hate it.”

“I’d imagine.”

“I keep thinking I should be doing something else.”

“Probably,” Alex said. “Are you going to?”

Michael shook his head. “I don’t know.” And that was all either of them had to say on that.

“No wonder you needed a distraction.”

Michael hesitated, looking out at the small field. It was mostly barren, save for a father and his son fishing at the lake. Alex seemed to be watching them intently, his gaze focused and far away at the same time. The trees ruffled in the wind, the birds chirped from above.

“You knew?” he finally asked, his voice quiet.

“You’d never slept with a man before, but you came up to me without hesitating, in a messed up suit, and drunk out of your mind,” Alex said with a small smile. “Of course I knew.”

“You’re not, you know. Not anymore.”

Alex rested his chin on his folded arms, and sighed.

Michael didn’t know what to do but put an arm around Alex’s shoulders, and kiss his cheek, resting his head against his.

When they returned to Alex’s apartment, groceries in hand, Michael had a moment of panic when he saw a strange man sprawled on Alex’s couch. He moved to shield Alex, but the man lifted his head, saw who had come in, and raised his hand in greeting.

“Great, a newcomer _now_? I was hoping to talk to you.”

“Good afternoon to you, too, Kyle,” Alex said, and to Michael’s surprise, pecked Kyle’s lips. “Talk about what?”

“My boss got on me today about the new menu. I _told_ him spaghetti and meatballs aren’t originally Italian, and he said people wouldn’t notice, and I said _we_ would, and it turned into this whole mess. Anyway, I quit.”

Alex blinked. “Did you really?”

“I did in my head,” Kyle said, and fell back down onto the couch. “But I’m not giving up. _I’m_ head chef, so I’ll tell him tomorrow that he can either get with the better program, or he can find himself a new genius.”

Alex snickered. “You know he’ll just do whatever you want. He always does.”

“I know, but I need the suspense, you know? It’s tiring when everything always goes your way.”

“Poor you,” Alex laughed, and Michael felt something sharp like a needle prickling his chest. Who was this guy anyway?

As if hearing his thoughts, Alex kissed Michael’s cheek and said, “This is Michael Guerin.”

“ _Michael_ , huh?” Kyle said with a meaningful look at Alex. “A friend?”

“Sure,” Alex said, and nothing else on the matter.

“Michael, huh…” Kyle was watching him. His eyes were narrowed, his smile odd.

“Don’t bother him,” Alex said as he took the bags from Michael. “I’m just going to go put these away.”

“Alright,” Kyle waved him off. “Take your time, babe.” When Alex was gone, Kyle turned to Michael. “So, you’re Michael.”

“Er – yeah,” Michael said, the peck Kyle and Alex shared playing on repeat in his mind. “You’re Alex’s friend?”

“ _Best_ friend, actually,” Kyle said. “We love each other.”

_We love each other._ “Right,” Michael said, then, “Well, I think I’m going to help Alex put the groceries away.”

“We’re family,” Kyle said, taking a step to the side to block Michael’s path. “We tell each other everything.”

“Uh huh,” Michael said. “Uh – if you don’t mind –”

“Which is why Alex told me all about you,” Kyle said, and Michael met his eyes. “Look, Alex likes to pretend that nothing really gets to him, and for the most part, that’s true. But the guy’s not made of stone. If you don’t plan on anything serious with him, break it off already. Please. Otherwise, the only one who’ll suffer is Alex, and he’s suffered enough.”

Michael frowned, and opened his mouth – to say what, he didn’t know – when Alex stepped into the living room. “I’m thinking pizza. All in agreement?”

Kyle, smiling widely at Alex, nodded. “Aye!”

“Michael?” Alex asked.

Michael glanced at Kyle. “My treat.”

In the end, Alex paid the delivery boy before Michael even knew he’d arrived.

(“I wanted to do that for you,” Michael had said.

Alex had shrugged. “I don’t like owing anything.”

“It’s me,” Michael said as if that was supposed to be enough of an argument. “You wouldn’t be owing me anything.”

Alex had given no response.)

The three of them sat together on the floor, with Alex leaning against Michael’s chest. By the time the pizza box was empty, Alex had fallen asleep, wrapped in Michael’s arms, and Michael and Kyle were left in silence.

Michael pressed his lips to Alex’s hair, closing his eyes. He thought he could fall asleep like this.

“You really like him, don’t you?” Kyle said, his eyes on Alex.

Michael gently moved Alex’s bangs back from his eyes. “Yeah. I do.”

“I’m sorry,” Kyle said. “For what I said earlier.”

“Don’t be,” Michael said, surprising himself. “You weren’t totally wrong about me. At first, he was just a wonderful distraction from every horrible thing in my life.”

Kyle stared. “And now?”

“Now, I don’t know. He just makes things better. You said he’d suffered. What did you mean?”

Kyle sighed. “His dad was never the nicest guy. Let’s leave it there. And don’t feel bad for him. He hates that.”

Michael thought of the man who loved his books, and loved his glitter, and kissed like he was overflowing with nothing but passion and joy and _love_ , and he shook his head. “How do you feel bad for Alex?”

Kyle smirked and nodded, as if to say, _‘Good point.’_

“But since we’re talking about Alex,” he added, and Kyle raised a brow. “Could you maybe not kiss him anymore? Or ever again? Yeah. _Never_ again.”

That morning, Michael had woken up to Alex giving him a blowjob, and Michael was sure of one thing; he knew nothing. He didn’t know what a future with Alex would look like, if there was a future with this stranger he’d known less than a week, if Alex even liked him as much as he liked Alex, but he knew he wanted to try. He wanted to be with Alex when he woke up, be with him when he fell asleep, and with him all in between.

He’d told Alex as much, and Alex had blushed and hid his face in Michael’s chest. “You’re cute,” he said, and Michael had held onto him for the rest of the night, even as they entered AFTER DARK. Alex got more than one longing look, and Michael suddenly couldn’t help but wonder how many of the people in here had seen Alex in bed. He remembered the way that large man had grinded on Alex last night, and resisted the urge to pull Alex behind him and hide him away.

Michael left to get them drinks, and stilled when he saw another man leaning closer to Alex. Alex turned away from him, and the man grabbed Alex’s arm, pulling him back. It was irrational – the jealousy he felt at even someone like Kyle (who Alex had reassured Michael was “basically my brother”), the hatred he felt towards anyone who dared touch Alex, to talk to him as if he belonged to them. Michael clenched his jaw, and let the drinks fall to the ground, the glasses shattering, before he yanked the stranger by his shirt backwards, leaned over him, and gave him punch after punch.

“Michael, _Michael_ , stop!” he heard Alex’s voice, felt Alex’s hands on him, pulling him back. “You’re going to kill him, stop it!”

Michael let Alex pull him off. “Don’t touch him again,” he spat at the man nearly unconscious on the floor, even as his friends came to help him up. “Don’t come near him!”

“Michael, look at me, Michael,” Alex pulled his face towards him, holding it in his hands. “Look at me, I’m okay.”

“Yeah,” Michael swallowed, wrapping his arms tightly around Alex’s waist and pulling him in. “You’re okay.”

“I’m okay.”

“You’re okay.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to – I didn’t want to scare you.”

“I’m okay,” Alex said quietly, raking his fingers through Michael’s curls. “I’m okay.”

Michael took Alex’s lips in his, and kissed him as desperately as he needed to _breathe_. It was always like this with Alex, Michael realized. Nothing was ever enough.

“I love you,” he breathed.

Alex blinked. “What?”

“I know it sounds crazy –”

“W-whoa, Michael, stop.”

“I don’t want to,” Michael pulled Alex in tighter. “I love everything about you, Alex. I love you.”

Alex shook his head, his brows furrowed. “You’ve only known me a few days.”

“So what? Other people fall in love in one. Look, I’m not saying it makes sense, and I don’t expect you to say it back – how could you love me? You’re beautiful and brave, and I’m angry and scared all the time – but I just needed to say it, just once.”

For a moment, Alex said nothing, and Michael wondered what would happen if Alex was so frightened by his confession that he told Michael he never wanted to see him again. What if Alex was too disgusted with Michael to look at him? What if he’d never planned on Michael loving him as anything more than a lover in bed, and he wanted no more than that?

“I love you, too,” Alex said, so quiet that Michael was worried he’d misheard him. “I must be losing my mind, we met a minute ago!”

“But you love me, too?” he urged. He needed to hear those words again, he needed Alex to say them.

Alex laughed, his eyes wide, as if he couldn’t believe the words coming out of his own mouth. “I love you, too.”

Michael pulled him in for a kiss, muttering, “I love you, I love you, _I love you_ ,” against his lips.

Alex laughed, and Michael swallowed that with his lips, too, just like he did to every moan, every breath, every soft whimper. That night, they ended up at Michael’s apartment, and had Michael not been so preoccupied with removing all of Alex’s clothing, he might’ve given Alex a proper tour of the place.

_Fuck it_ , he thought as he pulled Alex’s pants down and moved to hover over him. _Tomorrow._

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's bad, okay? But I was proud of myself for finishing, and honestly, it's not ALL that cheesy. I'm hoping it's one of those, 'so self-indulgent it's good' type of short stories. That's as far as my expectations go here.


End file.
